Written Answers Monday 31 July 2006

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it is giving to preventing people with alcohol addiction from having children.

Lewis Macdonald: There is no consideration being given to preventing people with alcohol addiction from having children. Instead, action by NHSScotland is being focused on ensuring that accessible maternity services are available to ensure service users with drug and alcohol problems feel comfortable about presenting for treatment, and these same services place the children’s best interests at the centre of any decisions or assessments that are made.

Antisocial Behaviour

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider amending the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 to enable landlords, other than social landlords, to make applications for antisocial behaviour orders.

Hugh Henry: The Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 includes provisions for the registration of private landlords which were introduced, in part, to assist in tackling antisocial behaviour in private sector tenancies. Local authorities and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) have the power to apply for Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs). There are currently no plans to amend legislation to enable private landlords to do so. Where necessary, private landlords should seek to work in partnership with local agencies to tackle antisocial behaviour. Private landlords can approach the local council to request the use of measures available under antisocial behaviour legislation, including ASBOs, where appropriate.

Dental Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of five-year-olds within the NHS Tayside area showed no signs of dental disease in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is contained in figure 1, page 6 and table 4, page 10 of the 2004 National Dental Inspection Programme report at: http://www.scottishdental.org/docs/ndip_scotland2004.pdf .

Dental Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of 11-year-olds within the NHS Tayside area showed no signs of dental disease in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is contained in table 5, page 11 of the 2005 National Dental Inspection Programme report  at: http://www.scottishdental.org/docs/ndip_scotland2005.pdf .

Dental Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of adults in the NHS Tayside area had some natural teeth in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of adults between the ages of 55 and 74 in the NHS Tayside area had some natural teeth in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit, cost and timetable is for the study currently being conducted on its behalf by IFF Consultants in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise.

Allan Wilson: The study that is currently being conducted by IFF Consultants in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise is the Futureskills Scotland led Scottish Employer Skill Survey (SESS) 2006 of 8,500 employers that gather evidence about the:

  
Importance of skill-related issues compared with other challenges facing employers;
Types of jobs in which skill shortages and skill gaps are most and least prevalent;
Causes of skill shortages, skill gaps, their consequences and employers’ responses to them;
Nature and extent of training paid for by employers, and
The work-readiness of recruits from school, college and university.


  The survey will cost £275,000 including VAT for 2006. The survey data is expected to be verified by September 2006 with the survey results planned to be published by the end of 2006.

Equal Opportunities

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its cross-departmental working group on occupational segregation has met and agreed a plan of work.

Malcolm Chisholm: The first meeting of the cross-departmental working group on occupational segregation was scheduled for May 2006 but has been re-scheduled to August 2006 to enable the fullest attendance from senior officials. Terms of reference have been drafted but these have yet to be ratified. This will be done by the working group at its first meeting.

Equal Opportunities

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when its cross-departmental working group on occupational segregation is due to report its findings and recommendations.

Malcolm Chisholm: The cross-departmental working group on occupational segregation is due to hold its first meeting towards the end of August. The life span of the working group will be no more than 18 months. It is envisaged that any final outputs from the deliberations of the group will be published as soon as possible after the conclusion of the group’s deliberations.

Health

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in clarifying guidance for allied health professionals regulated by the Health Professions Council in respect of the provision of acupuncture treatment to patients in any location.

Mr Andy Kerr: Health Protection Scotland (HPS) is setting up a working group which will include representation from the Executive and the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS). The purpose of this group will be to develop additional guidance for local authorities enforcing the Order which will aim to minimise the degree of variation in interpretation across the country.

  The Executive is also currently involved in discussions with the key professional healthcare bodies about the possible exemption of registered healthcare professionals from the Order, and is undertaking a limited consultation exercise.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new houses have been built in each constituency since 1999.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of new house built is not recorded by parliamentary constituency. The following table shows the number of new houses built since 1999 in each local authority area, which is the administrative unit used for reporting the information.

  New Build Completions by Local Authority Area: 1999-2005

  

 
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005


 Scotland
 24,388
 23,040
 23,341
 23,950
 23,716
 24,846
 24,295


 Aberdeen City
 892
 893
 591
 530
 670
 822
 663


 Aberdeenshire
 1,404
 1,103
 1,377
 1,347
 1,481
 1,802
 1,675


 Angus
 371
 364
 375
 527
 359
 465
 442


 Argyll and Bute
 226
 219
 280
 173
 297
 348
 368


 Clackmannanshire
 161
 187
 160
 278
 360
 451
 357


 Dumfries and Galloway
 493
 369
 559
 382
 626
 727
 564


 Dundee City
 562
 676
 335
 699
 719
 679
 399


 East Ayrshire
 280
 491
 547
 325
 319
 245
 412


 East Dunbartonshire
 156
 216
 132
 89
 147
 198
 168


 East Lothian
 346
 297
 460
 461
 302
 304
 755


 East Renfrewshire
 515
 471
 245
 270
 144
 98
 41


 Edinburgh City of
 3,010
 1,663
 2,498
 1,675
 1,534
 2,691
 2,373


 Eilean Siar
 58
 70
 62
 119
 105
 100
 127


 Falkirk
 551
 612
 854
 792
 1,119
 930
 1,045


 Fife
 2,030
 1,435
 1,280
 1,954
 1,908
 1,711
 1,975


 Glasgow City
 3,048
 3,455
 3,956
 3,408
 3,088
 3,458
 3,252


 Highland.
 1,366
 970
 645
 893
 938
 886
 847


 Inverclyde
 288
 420
 283
 385
 323
 349
 267


 Midlothian
 352
 225
 219
 127
 196
 96
 121


 Moray
 230
 320
 324
 480
 326
 275
 563


 North Ayrshire
 468
 397
 451
 448
 411
 517
 555


 North Lanarkshire
 2,202
 1,935
 1,441
 1,716
 1,392
 1,618
 1,530


 Orkney
 39
 60
 101
 121
 86
 85
 117


 Perth and Kinross
 530
 631
 620
 994
 1,072
 969
 679


 Renfrewshire
 587
 706
 552
 577
 520
 686
 472


 Scottish Borders The
 296
 586
 619
 829
 753
 519
 527


 Shetland
 104
 224
 88
 92
 62
 85
 74


 South Ayrshire
 430
 339
 405
 337
 398
 423
 311


 South Lanarkshire
 1,333
 1,426
 1,420
 1,686
 2,115
 1,855
 1,823


 Stirling
 437
 449
 399
 617
 370
 150
 437


 West Dunbartonshire
 312
 391
 684
 380
 338
 213
 464


 West Lothian
 1,311
 1,440
 1,379
 1,239
 1,238
 1,091
 892



  Source: New build returns by local authorities to the Scottish Executive Development Department Analytical Services Division (Housing Statistics). Housing association data provided by Communities Scotland.

Nuclear Power

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has taken on whether, under section 30 of the Scotland Act 1998, UK ministers could ask Her Majesty by Order in Council to include the subject matter of the Electricity Act 1989 or the Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) (No.2) Order 2000 in Schedule 5, (Reserved Matters), of the Scotland Act 1998, thereby removing the ability of the Executive to withhold consent for a new generation of nuclear power stations.

Allan Wilson: No such advice has been sought on this matter.

  On 11 July 2006, Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, announced the conclusions of the UK Energy Review. The review made clear that the consenting of new nuclear power stations is a matter executively devolved to Scottish ministers and the review made no proposal to change this situation.

Nuclear Power

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has taken on whether, under section 58 of the Scotland Act 1998, the relevant Secretary of State could consider a decision to withhold consent for new nuclear power stations in Scotland as being incompatible with international obligations relating to the security of supply of electricity or the environment, for example in relation to the Kyoto Protocol or the EU plans for the liberalisation of European energy markets.

Allan Wilson: No such advice has been sought on this matter.

  In accordance with ministers’ duties under the Electricity Act 1989 any application to construct a new nuclear power station would require to be fully considered on its individual merits.

People with Disabilities

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much accommodation is available for rent for vulnerable disabled people across Scotland, broken down by local authority area and type of accommodation.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the provision of social rented housing for older people and people with disabilities by type of need addressed is available in tables 20 and 22 of the statistical bulletin Quarterly housing trends in Scotland – Quarter ending 31 March 2005 . The bulletin can be accessed at the Scottish Executive website at address: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/PubHousingTrend .

  Table 20 gives information for March 2004 for all social housing including housing associations. Table 22 gives information for March 2005 for local authority and Scottish Homes housing only.

  The Statistical bulletin Quarterly housing trends in Scotland – Quarter ending 31 March 2006, which will be published on 30 August 2006 will update these tables to 31 March 2005 and 31 March 2006 respectively.

People with Disabilities

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used to determine eligibility of vulnerable disabled people for social rented accommodation.

Malcolm Chisholm: Everyone aged 16 or over is eligible for social rented housing. In addition to their statutory obligations towards certain categories of applicants, most local authorities operate a medical priority route which gives a degree of priority to those with health or mobility difficulties. There are no national criteria to determine medical priority. Generally a medical assessment is carried out which usually takes the form of a two-part test investigating, not only the severity of the condition, but crucially also the extent to which re-housing would improve or stabilise that condition.

Recycling

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding Glasgow City Council has received over the last five years to fund recycling services and how this compares with the City of Edinburgh, Aberdeen City, Dundee, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire councils.

Ross Finnie: The following table details how much Glasgow City Council has received over the last five years to fund recycling services and how this compares with the City of Edinburgh, Aberdeen City, Dundee, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire councils.

  

 Council
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 Glasgow City Council
£0
£604,000
£595,532
£3,663,189
£5,312,563


 City of Edinburgh Council
£0
£446,000
£464,000
£4,511,000
£9,759,698


 Aberdeen City
£0
£212,000
£1,895,614
£1,691,243
£2,736,435


 Dundee City Council
£0
£144,000
£0
£932,000
£1,551,993


 East Renfrewshire Council
£0
£504,000
£665,000
£633,000
£1,207,000


 Renfrewshire Council
£0
£174,000
£0
£2,425,000
£3,003,000


 East Dunbartonshire Council
£0
£106,000
£212,400
£2,147,600
£1,769,000


 West Dunbartonshire Council
£0
£23,350
£61,817
£1,751,000
£2,637,684


 North Lanarkshire Council
£0
£671,650
£618,250
£4,749,000
£5,345,000

Recycling

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned that some local authorities have not yet achieved the target of recycling 25 per cent of household waste and, if so, what action and further support it will consider to improve recycling opportunities for all Scots regardless of where they live.

Ross Finnie: The target of recycling/composting 25% of municipal waste by 2006 is an all-Scotland target rather than an individual local authority target. To increase recycling we are taking action in a number of areas. These include:

  
Funding a number of recycling facilities for multi-occupancy properties, including in Glasgow.
Working with local authorities, REMADE Scotland and the Scottish Waste Awareness Group to ensure that existing recycling facilities, and associated awareness campaigns, work as effectively as possible.
Providing further financial support for new or improved recycling services, where these represent value for money. 
Providing £5 million through our INCREASE programme to support work by community recycling bodies.
Working with local authorities and the Community Recycling Network for Scotland on a streamlined procedure for applications by local authorities to the Strategic Waste Fund to support work by community recycling bodies.
Carrying out a small number of trials, over the next two years, on the collection of food waste from households, to determine if the collection of food waste from households in Scotland is a viable proposition.


  The Waste and Resources Action Programme have also run trials on the collection of recyclate from small businesses and further trials are planned.

Recycling

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what special challenges in respect of recycling it considers exist in (a) tenements, (b) high rise properties and (c) other areas of above average population density and what support and guidance is available to local authorities in relation to improving recycling opportunities in such properties and areas.

Ross Finnie: Multi-occupancy properties face particular problems and difficulties in the storage and collection of recoverable waste. The challenge for many local authorities is to implement viable recycling schemes for multi-occupancy properties in a cost effective manner.

  To help tackle this issue, the Scottish Executive commissioned a research project on multi-occupancy property recycling in 2005. The report on this project, Multi-Occupancy Properties Recycling Feasibility Project, will be published shortly.

  Following this research, the Scottish Executive is making an award of a maximum of £46 million from the Strategic Waste Fund to a consortium of six local authorities, including Glasgow City Council, for the period 2006-07 to 2019-20 to provide recycling facilities to over 200,000 multi-occupancy properties.

Roads

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any regulatory requirement on local authorities to cut grass and trim vegetation from the edge of roadways to any given distance therefrom within an area covered by a speed limit.

Tavish Scott: Local authorities have powers and a general duty under section 1 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain all public roads in their area.

  There is no specific regulatory requirement for carrying out maintenance work such as cutting grass and trimming vegetation. However, roads authorities are expected to work in accordance with guidance contained in Delivering Best Value in Highway Maintenance – Code of Practice for Maintenance Management, which was prepared by the Institute of Highways and Transportation and has been endorsed for use throughout Scotland.

Tattooing and Skin Piercing

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that allied health professionals should be subject to similar licensing requirements to tattooists and skin piercers.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Skin Piercing and Tattooing) Order 2006 is essential to address public health risks, specifically that of transmission of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B and C faced by potential clients.

  As the order currently stands it encompasses registered health care professionals who undertake private practice in acupuncture as an alternative therapy treatment. The policy intention was however, to capture those who did not have any formal training or regulation. As a result, it is now proposed to amend the Order to exclude all registered healthcare professionals. A limited consultation exercise that includes this proposed change, which involves professional health care bodies and local authorities, is currently being undertaken.